Tortured Beyond Repair
by DarkAngel19881
Summary: An unjust punishment just might lead to civil war, Can Naruto survive
1. Chapter 1

Tortured beyond repair

Chapter one

Naruto sits in a dark prison, his eyes on the floor, wondering how in the heck he had ended up in this situation waiting to see if he would get life imprisonment or death. If the council had their way, Naruto knew which way the conviction would go, let's just say he wouldn't drawing in any more air. Frowning, Naruto shifted in attempt to get comfortable, but seeing how his feet were shackled to the floor and his hands cuffed. He didn't think he could even begin to find a comfortable position. Tears filled his eyes, Naruto couldn't even begin to understand how he'd gotten here. The day had started out normal enough, Naruto and his team had had their training as usual. After that though is when things started going wrong, first off, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi were sent on a mission and Naruto was told that he was to remain in the village. That of course had sent warning bells off, why would his team be sent off without him? It didn't take Naruto long to find out, a villager had approached the council, knowing of Tsunade's close relationship with Naruto. The villagers had spun a tale of Naruto attacking their helpless child leaving it permanently scarred and disabled. Naruto had immediately shouted when he had been brought before the council that he was Innocent, he worked hard to protect the village, not harm it. Why would he want to harm anyone? Naruto had tried to explain that the reasons why it hadn't been him, but the Council refused to listen. No one wanted to hear what the demon brat had to say. There was no way that he could possibly be innocent of the crime with which he was being charged.

Naruto knew that Tsunade was working her hardest to convince the Council of his innocence but Naruto doubted that even she would get anywhere with it. Once the Council made up their minds, it was made up and Naruto would have to deal with the consequences. Swallowing, Naruto stared down at the floor, wondering if he would be going to meet his parents before the end of the week. If the council had their way, Naruto would have been executed already, only Tsunade was standing in their way. Naruto closed his eyes, his heart hurting because once again the village refused to see Naruto as a protector instead of a destroyer. Would that opinion ever change? He doubted it, no matter how hard he worked, nothing ever seemed good enough.

Tears filled his eyes and fell down his face, Naruto wasn't scared for himself, no he could handle whatever punishment the council decided to hand out, he was afraid for his friends to have to deal with whatever the outcome of his punishment would be. He had the feeling he would soon be taking his last breath, he didn't want his friends to grieve for him. He wanted them to be okay with whatever happened even if it was hard.

"Naruto" A soft voice spoke in the darkness, causing Naruto to raise his head and look towards the bars that held him imprisoned.

"Tsuande" Naruto answered just as quietly, attempting to hide his fear.

"What has the Council decided?" Naruto asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"I was able to talk them out of a death sentence, but I am afraid the punishment they settled for it just as bad as a death sentence." Tsunade answered hating that the young man she had come to love as a brother, was going to have go through with this. "They want you to be lashed fifty times in public." Tsunade said.

"That's more than enough to kill me." Naruto said quietly closing his eyes. Leave it to the council to find an option that would cause Naruto even more pain. He just hoped that his teammates wouldn't be there to see it. He would do anything to spare them that kind of pain.

"I am ordered to not heal you, if you survive the whipping." Tsuande said and Naruto knew she hated the punishment just as much as he did.

"They just want to see me suffer." Naruto pointed out quietly knowing that at this point there was nothing he could do to get out of it. "They want me to suffer until I die."

"I wish I could change things" Tsunade whispered tears in her eyes, she didn't want this for Naruto. No one deserved to have to go through this.

"There is one thing you can do." Naruto said quietly, as he watched two Nin dressed in black approaching him.

"What's that?" Tsuande asked, knowing that she would do whatever Naruto asked of her, especially if these were to be his last moments.

"Make sure my teammates aren't there to witness it." Naruto asked his eyes pleading with her to make this last wish happen.

"I will." Tsunade promised wishing she could ease the fear in his eyes. Naruto should never have to be afraid.

"Time for your punishment Uzumaki." the guards sneered, laughing at the fear they saw in the fox boys eyes.

"DO NOT mock him." Tsuande glared at the guards. Heads were going to roll for what this boy was about to go through, and it would start with the villagers that accused Naruto of doing such a horrible crime.

"For once, The Council's orders override yours Lady Hokage." The guards said as the entered Naruto's cell, and unchained him from the floor. Shoving him roughly out of the cell, the guards turn and sneer at The Hokage.

"By the way the Council expects you to be sitting on the front row while, Fox boy is getting punished." turning around the guards continue shove Naruto along the hall. Tsunade only stands there, her hands clinched into fists, she would bring hell upon the council once this was over, even if she had to start a civil war to do it. Naruto deserved more respect than this. No one who knew Naruto would ever believe him to be capable of such a crime.

Her expression growing dark, Tsuande headed towards the center or town where the punishment was to be held. Naruto was already changed to a pole with his bare back to the crowd. Tsunade scowled at the laughter and cheers that she heard. Could they not see that what they were doing was wrong?

"Lady Hokage is finally here." Homura stated "When we can get on with the punishment." Tsuande winces as she watches the man raise the whip and then send it flaying into Naruto's back, her heart broke hearing the broken scream escape Naruto's mouth. She didn't know how she was going to endure this, it was almost too much for her to bear.

Within only a few lashes Naruto's back was ripping to shreds and covered in blood, he was barely conscious as he struggled to hold himself up. It wouldn't do for the council to see him as weak, and unable to take the punishment that they had deemed necessary.

After several more lashes, Naruto found he could no longer hold himself up and he allowed himself to fall to his knees. When was this agony going to end? Yet, another lash landed on an already open spot on his back, and Naruto found himself screaming. Agony tore through him and Naruto feared for his sanity.

As Naruto began to lose consciousness, he saw a head of silver, pink and black and knew that his teammates would be there to see his final moments. He didn't want them to see him in this much pain, especially Sasuke, but he knew nothing could be done now. Naruto closed his eyes, giving himself over to the blackness that had been slowly taking him over.

Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi could only stare in horror at the sight that was before them, their teammate was chained to a post and the life was being whipped out of him. What had happened while they were gone that Naruto deserved this kind of treatment. Unable to do anything about it, they can only watch as the guard finishes beating Naruto to a pulp, declaring Naruto close to death. The council demanded that Naruto remain chained to the post until after he passed away. They knew he would die from the deep wounds that he suffered.

Scowling at the council, Sasuke left and found the Hokage with tears pouring down her face. Sasuke knew that witnessing the whole event had been even more painful for her.

"why aren't you helping him?" Sasuke demanded angry that this situation had occurred in the first place. Before he had left for the mission he remembered the fight he had gotten into with Naruto; it had been bad, if Kakashi hadn't been there, Sasuke was sure that they would have killed themselves. All because Sasuke was stupid and refused to admit that Naruto was a friend. Lord knows how much Sasuke's words had to have hurt the blond haired boy.

"The Council ordered me not to heal him" Tsuande said numbly, brokenly. "They don't want him to live."

"I don't care what the council says." Sasuke said from between clinched teeth "I don't care about what they think Naruto done to deserve this. I'm sure he didn't do anything to warrant this kind of punishment. Naruto needs help or he will die." Sasuke glared at The Hokage before making his way to his unconscious friend. Blood was everywhere, making Sasuke sick to his stomach. He wasn't sure how Naruto could survive this kind of blood loss, but he would do everything in his power to make sure that he did.

"Hang on Naruto." Sasuke murmured as started pulling at the chains that held a very limp Naruto. Tears pooled in Sasuke's eyes. What had happened while they were gone? he should have known something was up when they'd had to go on a mission without Naruto. Somebody had to have this planned for a long time.  
Growling, Sasuke kept pulling at the chains, knowing that without help he wouldn't be getting Naruto out of here.

"Stand back Sasuke." Kakashi told him, as he went through the signs for the lightening blade, within moments Naruto was lying on the ground.

"If you help him" a villager cried out "you are committing treason."

"The only ones committing treason are the ones that allowed it to happen in the first place." Tsuande said before turning to Kakashi who had kneeled down and picked the unconscious boy up.

"Take him out of the village." Tsuande told him "I will be along shortly, I will not abandon him to die like the Council would so easily do."

"You are committing treason Lady Hokage." A villager commented and Tsunade turned and looked at him.

"The Council just started war, don't lecture me on treason." she growled as she watched Kakashi and his team take off with Naruto. She feared what this would do to Naruto's mind. She only hoped they could bring him back from the edge of darkness that he was about to journey into.

TBC?


	2. Chapter 2

Tortured Beyond Repair

Chapter 2

As Kakashi raced through the forest he could feel Naruto's blood, steadily running down the front of his vest. Kakashi had had the feeling that their mission had been some kind of farce, because Naruto had been forced to stay in Konoha while they had delivered the scroll to Suna, something that hadn't been that important, though Kakashi had been lead to believe that it had been.

When they had arrived back in Konoha, after several delays, he had been horrified to accidently stumble upon Naruto being lashed to death. What could they kid have done that was bad enough to warrant that kind of punishment? Kakashi couldn't remember when Konoha had even last held a public lashing, most when straight to Ibiki to be tortured. Of course, it was clear that the council had wanted to inflict as much physical pain on Naruto as they possibly could. As far as Kakashi was concerned they had taken it way too far, Naruto never should have had to go through that. It made him wonder how they had gotten past Tsunade, she never would have approved of something like this happening in the first place. She would have tried her best to protect Naruto. Scowling, Kakashi wondered how he would be able to continue to protect the village after what they had done. Kakashi knew that not all villagers supported Naruto becoming a ninja. The other half were grateful for the sacrifices that Naruto had had to make. He had the feeling war was about to break out in Konoha and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Sensei, is he going to be okay?" Sakura asked softly, never before had she ever seen Naruto so hurt as he was then. She was used to him bouncing right back after an injury. Seeing him so pale, and covered in his own blood was hard. Naruto had never been hurt this bad before, it was a miracle that he was even still alive. She couldn't imagine the pain he would be in when he regained consciousness.

"I don't know, Sakura" Kakashi answered honestly though it hurt his heart to do so. "I just don't know." he didn't need to look behind him to know that tears had filled the pink haired student's eyes.

"I don't understand why this happened." Sasuke said scowling down at the ground. "Why would the village allow this to happen to him?"

"Because not everyone believes Naruto to be the hero that he is." Kakashi answered, feeling angry all over again. "They would rather see him dead than to succeed." Sasuke scowled dark, his dark eyes falling on the badly injured Naruto in Kakashi's arms. He had never imagined something like this happening to Naruto. It made wonder at the rest of the mistreatment that Naruto had dealt with without telling anyone. He knew that Naruto had been greatly mistreated in his younger years, before he had won over half of the village. It hurt Sasuke's heart to know that Naruto had spent so much time lonely, and longing for love and companionship. Sasuke wouldn't have blames Naruto if he had turned out to be more angry than he was happy. As it was Sasuke knew that Naruto had faked his way through his life for a long time. Would things ever get easier for the young man?

"I think its okay to stop now." Kakashi said, as he lay Naruto on his side on the ground. The forest wasn't the cleanest place to treat Naruto's wounds, but if something wasn't done than Naruto would bleed to death.

"I'm going to need you two to hold him for me." Kakashi said dreading the moment because he was going to cause even more pain to Naruto. As Sakura and Sasuke took their places at Naruto's side, they couldn't help but wince at the open wounds on Naruto's back. It made them sick to think their village was capable of doing something like this to someone who didn't even deserve it.

"Hold him tight." Kakashi warned them "he's not going to like this very much." Kakashi held a jar of alcohol, he hated doing this as he poured the liquid over Naruto's back, Naruto's eyes opened and wide and he let out a howl of pain that tore at all of their hearts.

"He's disinfecting your back " Sakura said as she reached out and wiped away a tear from Naruto's eyes. Naruto was in so much pain she doubted that he could even comprehend what she was even saying. Naruto cried out again as Kakashi poured more alcohol over Naruto's back again. He hated causing his student pain, but he needed to keep the wounds as clean as he could. The wounds were so bad, Kakashi honestly doubted the alcohol would do any good. Kakashi could feel his stomach turn and bile rise in his throat, as the alcohol burned Naruto, causing his blood to turn a slight pinkish color and bubble up.

"I'm sorry, Naruto" Kakashi said as Naruto howled again and tried to jerk away from him. "I don't want to hurt you kid, I never wanted this to happen to begin with."

Once Kakashi had finished with the alcohol, he started attempting to stitch together the wounds. Kakashi had never thought an injury would make him sick to his stomach, but seeing the damage the whip had done to Naruto's back, almost made him vomit. Some of the wounds were so deep, you could almost see bone. Kakashi really wished Tsunade would hurry up, she would do a much better job than he was going, and probably not cause Naruto so much pain either. It took Kakashi four hours to finish stitching Naruto up, in that time both Sasuke and Sakura had to take turns emptying their stomachs. They had never seen anyone as badly injured as this before.

"He should be okay for tonight." Kakashi told him breaking the silence. "I don't think he will be in anymore danger tonight. We are going to set up camp here. Naruto is going to need a break." Kakashi said reaching out and placing a hand on his student's sweaty forehead. The two students nodded and took off to find camping supplies. Kakashi unrolled a bedroll and gently zipped Naruto up in it, making sure that he kept Naruto on his side.

Once camp was set up, Kakashi told the other two to get some sleep. He would keep watch for the night, he wanted to keep an eye on Naruto and make sure his condition didn't worsen in the night. The last thing Naruto needed was to get an infection, Kakashi highly doubted that Naruto would survive if that happened.

"Sensei" he heard a soft voice slur, and Kakashi looked down to see a barely conscious Naruto looking around for him. Kneeling down, Kakashi made sure that Naruto could find him in the pale light.

I'm here, Naruto I am going to take care of you." Kakashi said softly.

"Didn't want you to see me like that." Naruto slurred, his voice cracking with the pain he was in. "Didn't want any of you to see me like that."

"Why did they do it?" Kakashi asked knowing that Naruto likely wouldn't have the strength to answer the question.

"Villager accused me of attacking their kid." Naruto slurred, his eyes dropping closed and his breathing slowly evening out. Standing up, Kakashi clinched his hands into fists. He would find a way to pay back those villagers for causing this situation.

Kakashi backed away, but not too far that one of the students couldn't call for help and he wouldn't hear them. He had to get his mind around why Konoha was bringing back a punishment that they hadn't used in several decades. They had stopped using because it had been too barbaric and too inhumane. So why had they decided it would be good to use for Naruto? No one deserved that kind of pain. Not even a so called demon in which Naruto clearly was not, but apparently half the villagers needed glasses just to be able to see that. He hoped Tsunade could find a suitable punishment for those responsible for doing this.

"Didn't attack the kid." he heard Naruto mumble "I stopped the parents from beating her to death." those words angered Kakashi even more. Who could do that to their own child and then turn around and accuse someone else of doing it? Kakashi didn't understand the kind of evil that was causing so much trouble.

Sighing, Kakashi went over and kneeled beside Naruto once more, he reached out and gently squeezed Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you Naruto, your parents would be proud of you too." no doubted they would be beyond enraged at how the village had treated their son.

When Morning came, Kakashi found, Sasuke and Sakura already up bright and early, sitting next to their teammate with worried expressions on both their faces. Walking over, it didn't take Kakashi long to figure out why they were worried. Naruto was drenched in sweat and his body was shaking, leaving no doubt in Kakashi's mind that Naruto had somehow gotten an infection.

Kakashi's heart went out to Naruto, knowing that the kid was in a ton of pain, he doubted that Naruto would have the ability to fight the infection off, because he'd had yet to be able to replace all the blood that he had lost. Where was Tsunade when they needed her. At this point in time Naruto was more important than that damn village.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked him, not taking her eyes away from Naruto, as if that would be keep him alive for just a few more seconds.

"I don't know." Kakashi answered honestly "Its risky to move him in the condition he is in, but it's too risky not to because of the fever and the infection."

"Just let me die" Naruto moaned out, pain making his voice shake. "Let me die and I won't be a bother to anyone else anymore."

"You're not a bother to anyone, Idiot!" Sasuke snapped, his worry making him even more irritable than usual. He had spent his entire night thinking of Naruto and how much the kid had suffered and then this had happened adding even more misery to Naruto's life.

"Sasuke's right," Sakura said softly "you are not a bother to anyone, you've saved that village time and time again, you are a hero."

"Not a hero" Naruto slurred "I'm a demon." both Sasuke and Sakura went silent. Three hearts breaking for the boy lying in front of them. Naruto never had been a demon in their eyes, a bit of a troublemaker yes, but never a demon.

Kakashi stared down at the pale face of his student still unsure of what he should do. It was too risky to stay so close to the village when Naruto was hurt so bad, but traveling when he was this sick wouldn't help him either. Bending down, Kakashi picked Naruto up lightly, trying not to tear the stitches that he had put in.

"I don't feel comfortable with being so close to the village." Kakashi said "We need to get him someplace else so that he can get help, I just don't know if he can handle traveling."

"We can only try." Sakura said "Besides I wouldn't put it past the council to send someone out here to murder Naruto in his sleep, since their other plan didn't seem to work too well." Kakashi nodded knowing that she was right, Kakashi wouldn't allow that to happen though, he would protect his students with his life if he had too.


	3. Chapter 3

Tortured Beyond Repair

Chapter 3

As Kakashi ran, he couldn't get Naruto's words out of his head. _I'm not a hero, I'm a demon._ Naruto couldn't honestly believe that could he? After everything he has already done for the village? He defeated Pein, and brought Sasuke back when the last the thing the lone Uchiha wanted to do was be brought back. How dare the villagers treat someone this badly after all that Naruto had already sacrificed for them. They must have already forgotten about the pain that Naruto had endured for them. Kakashi scowled, he would never forget the physical cost that his student had paid to protect the ones he loved. Kakashi could remember visiting Naruto in the hospital, Naruto had always been happy and cheerful no matter how much he hurt.

For the villagers to turn around and do something like this, it meant their hate had been buried but not forgotten. Naruto had worked so hard to prove that he wasn't the demon everyone believed him to be. It seemed to Kakashi that Naruto was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. it wasn't fair to expect miracles from Naruto and then to turn around and expect nothing but hell from him.

"Hang on, Naruto" Kakashi muttered as he noticed an increase to Naruto's shaking. "I'm not going to let you die, no matter if you want me to or not!" Kakashi could feel his heart pound faster as he pushed himself harder, he would somehow find a way to save Naruto's life.

"Sensei, stop" Naruto slurred as he slowly returned to consciousness, his team leader and teammates didn't need to be pushing themselves like this. He wasn't worth it, all the villagers ever saw him as was a demon. He wasn't worth anyone's tears, no one would grieve over him. He didn't deserve it, he had tried to save that little girl, but demons couldn't save people they only caused harm. They only destroyed things. So Naruto's life truly didn't matter, even if he had stopped the little girl from getting beaten. Naruto must have done something to warrant getting whipped near to death.

"Let me die, I'm not worth it." Naruto moaned softly as Kakashi hit his injured back accidently.

"I refuse to let you die, Naruto" Kakashi said firmly, "no one deserved to have this done to them, least of all, you." Kakashi hated that Naruto thought he deserved this, it wasn't right. No doubt the boy would be scarred from the experience too, Kakashi though would find a way to help him. Even if he had to kidnap Iruka to do so. Kakashi cringed inwardly at the thought of the other man, Kakashi knew how much Iruka loved Naruto. He couldn't imagine how hard it had been for Iruka to watch Naruto get beaten within an inch of his life and not be able to stop it.

Twenty minutes later, Kakashi decided to stop for a break, he figured Naruto would need a break from the pain. Sitting him down, Kakashi turned Naruto over on his side, so that he wouldn't pull his stitches out. Naruto's hair was limp, and sticking to his forehead, giving testament to how high Naruto's fever was.

"Stay with him" Kakashi told the two Nin, "I'm going to find him some water. He is sure to be dehydrated by now." They nodded and sat down beside their sick companion, worried expression on their faces. Kakashi hated leaving him, but Naruto desperately needed water, otherwise he would die before they even got to another village, of course, the dying part was still something that could happen because of the infection. Kakashi hoped that Tsunade hurried up with whatever she was doing so that she could help heal Naruto to the best of her ability.

Didn't take Kakashi long to find a river, filling a water bottle, Kakashi had the feeling that something was happening with Naruto. Hurrying back, he saw Naruto was still unconscious and helpless looking.

"Sensei" Sakura said softly holding up one of Naruto's wrists, Kakashi could see that the wrists were raw from where Naruto had hung by his wrists for hours, but he could also see that the skin was black around the wrist, almost like it was charred.

"What the heck" Kakashi said to himself as he knelt down beside Naruto to examine the wrists for himself. It didn't take long to recognize what was going on, his jutsu had electrocuted Naruto, no telling what kind of damage had been done on his inside.

"Oh, god Naruto" Kakashi mumbled, he had thought he was helping Naruto out when he had used the lightening blade, from the looks of it he had only caused Naruto more damage.

"We need to get him to a doctor now." Kakashi said, even as he held up the bottle of water, and poured a little over Naruto's lips. The kid made no move to even take it in. "God knows what I done to him when I used that jutsu." guilt ate at Kakashi, he had only wanted to free his student and in the end he had caused him more harm.

"You were only trying to help, Sensei" Sakura said quietly, knowing that Naruto's chances of making it were even slimmer now. She also knew that Kakashi would do whatever it took to protect them.

"In trying to help. I just may have killed Naruto." Kakashi said as he took a couple drops of water and placed it on Naruto's lips. Naruto really needed to take in some water otherwise his condition would continue to worsen.

Picking him up, Kakashi took off running again. He couldn't worry about Naruto not drinking when the kid's insides were probably working against him because of Kakashi's jutsu. He couldn't stop the guilt, there had probably been other ways to get Naruto free, but Kakashi hadn't bothered looking for them, he gone the quickest route which had proved not to be the safest route. If Naruto died, Kakashi would blame himself, he might not have been the one to bring the whip down on Naruto's back, but he was the one that electrocuted Naruto, causing who knows what kind of damage.

When Kakashi started to tire from carrying Naruto the long distance they had come already, he pushed himself harder, knowing that Naruto's very life depended on it. The kid probably should have been dead already considering everything that he had been through, but Kakashi knew that Naruto had the nine tails at least attempting to heal him, which wasn't doing much good. They had whipped Naruto so hard, and for so long that Kakashi knew he would carry scars from it for the rest of his life. He would understand if Naruto hated everyone after this ordeal was through, Naruto had been forced through so much hell, and lately it seemed like it had been all for naught.

Finally after what seemed like years, and Kakashi barely able to put one foot in front of the other, they arrived in the land of wave. Kakashi had never been more relieved to see a friendly village in his life, now they could really find some help for Naruto.

"Go find us a place to stay" Kakashi told Sakura and Sasuke, "I'm going to find a doctor and maybe a hospital for Naruto." within minutes their small group had disappeared and Kakashi was left with an extremely sick Naruto.

"I'm going to find you some help now, kid" Kakashi muttered as he wandered through the town until he noticed a sign for a doctor. Kakashi approached and the doctor seeing them opened his door for them and pointed to a table where Kakashi could lay Naruto.

"What happened?" The doctor asked Kakashi as he began to examine Naruto's back.

"He was whipped within an inch of his life." Kakashi explained "and I am pretty sure my lightening blade jutsu fried his insides."

"I didn't think punishments like that were still in practice." The doctor commented as he cut away Naruto's shirt, which was now sticking to his back because of sweat and blood.

"My village was supposed to have done away with it a long time ago." Kakashi agreed "Why they felt the need to use it against an innocent kid I will never know."

"You mean this kid didn't deserve this kind of punishment?" The doctor asked horrified. What kind village would allow an innocent person, a child nonetheless, to go through this? It was torture pure and simple.

"I don't know what happened because I was out of the village at the time. But I can assure you Naruto didn't do anything to deserve it." Kakashi said "he loves playing pranks, those are always harmless." Kakashi could feel bile rise in his throat as he looked at Naruto's back, even with the stitches, Naruto's back was a shredded mess. There wasn't an inch of skin that had been left untouched, swollen and red, puckered up, Kakashi could practically smell the infection. He wondered briefly if it would be more humane to allow Naruto to pass on, while he wasn't feeling his injuries, once he started feeling them he would be miserable. Kakashi didn't like the thought of his Sensei's child being in agony. If Kakashi could have stopped this before it had ever started he would have done so. As it was he felt like killing the members of the council. They had no right to override the Hokage's authority and order this kind of punishment. They had never been so inhumane to any of their enemies so the fact that they could so easily order it for one of their own ninja, made Kakashi question their ability to be council members. The council had known who Naruto's parents were, had known that Minato had wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero. Knowing this, they had allowed Naruto to be falsely accused of a crime that he would have never committed in the first place, they had also ordered the harshest most painful form of punishment possible. That was beyond inhumane, way beyond cruel, it was downright sadistic. It really made Kakashi want to run as far from Konoha as he could with his students. If the council could be this cruel with Naruto, he hated to see what they could come up with for Sasuke and Sakura. Of course, neither of them had nine tails but whose to say they wouldn't start turning on the citizens of Konoha when they didn't get their way.

"I feel sorry for any child that lives in a village that could allow this to happen." The doctor muttered as he checked over Naruto's stitches. "I will say the stitches look pretty good, but I am afraid the infection likely set in before you got him stitched up."

"What about the electrocution?" Kakashi asked quietly "Can you tell me about the damage?"

"Not without running tests first" The doctor said as he turned Naruto over and placed his stethoscope over Naruto's heart. "I can tell you, it sounds like his heart is beating unevenly, so there is a good chance that his heart is damaged." Kakashi frowned and looked away, this was his fault if he had taken the time to find another way to get Naruto loose, they wouldn't be in this predicament right at this moment.

"He was chained to a post" Kakashi muttered wishing he could bleach the memory out of his mind, of Naruto hanging limply while the man whipped Naruto has hard as he possibly could. The sound of the whip hitting flesh, had nearly made Kakashi sick, it nearly made him sick now just remembering it. "He was just hanging their by his wrists, not even attempting to fight them as they flayed the skin off his back. The blood just poured down his back like a river, still no matter how hard they hit him, he never once tried to fight back, not in the amount of time that I witnessed what they done to him." Kakashi couldn't get the image out of his mind, of Naruto just hanging there, while he was being beaten to near death, the kid's head had been hanging down and he had refused to meet anyone's eyes. Kakashi could see Naruto flinching each time he had been hit. Clinching his hands into fists, Kakashi tried to force the image out of his head. He couldn't think about the agony his student had endured right now, he had to focus on saving him.

"He's going to be lucky if he's the same person he was before going through this." The doctor said "such a deliberate act of sadism will change a person. I just hope that you can help the person he becomes, whether it's angry or scared."

"I will do whatever I can to help him." Kakashi said "I don't care if he's angry or not, lord, knows he has every right to be, after the village he loves tried to beat him to death in the most painful way possible."

"What's going to happen with him if he recovers?" the doctor asked as he took a closer look at Naruto's raw and ripped wrists. "are you going back to that village?"

"I don't know" Kakashi answered "right now, war is about to break out because of what they done. I imagine that there are more people who support Naruto than those that don't. they won't stand for what was done to him. I know most of my ninja friends will stand with them, most are aware of the sacrifices Naruto has had to make. They are encouraged by his will of fire, his will to never give up or to break his word." Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment remembering the boy had promised to surpass all the Hokage that had come before. The boy that promised to bring his teammate back, which he had fulfilled. If Naruto said he was going to do something he done it, no matter how much pain he had to endure to do it.

Opening his eyes, he found a fevered Naruto looking at him through agony dulled blue eyes. Kakashi hated that look, Naruto deserved to always be laughing, not suffering. Too bad the village couldn't see the truth about Naruto, the truth that made the kid more special than any that had ever come before him.

Reaching out Kakashi touched his cheek, unsure of whether grabbing his hand would have hurt him or not. He didn't want to cause his student any more than the kid was already dealing with.

"I'm here, Naruto" Kakashi said quietly, "I won't be leaving you either."

"You shouldn't care so much about me sensei." Naruto slurred as his eyes started to close again. "I'm not worth caring for."

"Yes, you are." Kakashi said "You are just as deserving of love and friendship as Sasuke and Sakura are. You can keep telling me to not care all you want, it's not going to change anything, because I know your heart, I know how pure it is. No one deserves love more than you do!" Kakashi doubted that Naruto heard the last part, because the kid had passed out again.

"It will be best if he can be left here." the doctor told Kakashi "I don't have much medicine for the infection, but I am betting that I have more than you do." Kakashi nodded at that statement.

"If you want you and your other students can stay with me, while I am taking care of Naruto. I know you don't want to leave him."

"I don't" Kakashi agreed "Look what happened when I left him the last time."

"He's in good hands, you don't have to fear." The doctor said and Kakashi nodded and turned and watched Naruto. His heart breaking all over again, no orphan should ever have to go through what Naruto has. The doctor was right about one thing, Naruto would come out of this a changed person, if he survived at all of course.

"Naruto, please for the sake of your team and all those that love you, remember that this is the last thing we ever wanted you to go through.!" Kakashi said "From here on out, we will protect you better than we ever have, no one will be allowed to hurt you, not without going through me." Kakashi could only think of how he had failed to protect his teammates Obito and Rin, he had failed them just like he'd failed Naruto. Never again Kakashi promised himself, I will never fail another teammate as long as I live.

Thanks for reading and commenting, hope you enjoy Liz


	4. Chapter 4

Tortured Beyond Repair

Chapter 4

Later that night, once Sasuke and Sakura had got up with Kakashi, they found themselves lying awake and thinking of the consequences of what had happened. They had been told to leave Naruto on the post and let him die. How could they as Naruto's friends allow that? At one point in time Sasuke believed he could have walked away and left Naruto to die, now though there was no way. Naruto had risked too much for Sasuke for Sasuke to turn his back. He still couldn't believe the council had been so cruel to Naruto, when Sasuke had deserted the village, his punishment had been nowhere near as severe. That said something about the old farts that called themselves the council, they were supposed to be wise, but as far as Sasuke was concerned they weren't nothing but ignorant pieces of crap.

Before Kakashi had spotted him, Sasuke had heard the doctor telling Kakashi that because of the jutsu that he had used, Naruto's heart was likely damaged. What that meant for Naruto's career as a ninja Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what it meant, other than Naruto was going to need some help. He knew Kakashi couldn't get the brutal images of Naruto being hurt out of his head, Sasuke didn't think he ever would either. Sasuke didn't think he had ever witnessed anything as bad as that beating, not even when he had been with Orchimaru.

Sasuke sighed and rolled over on his back, his time with Orchimaru wasn't anything he liked to think about. He didn't like thinking about anything that had to do with his past. But how could he not remember how much Naruto had sacrificed just to bring him back. Sasuke knew that Naruto considered him a brother, Sasuke didn't really think he even fit the friend description after everything.

"Can't sleep either?" He heard Sakura ask quietly.

"No" Sasuke answered, he could still see his teammate kneeling helplessly on the platform, with the whip tearing strips of skin off of him. He didn't know how Naruto had withstood all that pain without making a sound.

"Do you think he is going to be okay?" Sakura asked after a moment's silence. She didn't really want to know the answer because she was afraid of what it would mean for her friend.

"I'll be surprised if he does" Sasuke answered honestly, his mind stirring with memories of the previous day. "I've never seen someone lose that much blood and still live, but then again it is Naruto and he does have nine tails." Sasuke added, wondering why the nine tails hadn't done much in the way of healing him as of yet. Maybe it was because Naruto's back was in such bad shape he couldn't concentrate on that right now.

"What made the council decide to punish him that way. Last I had heard Konoha hadn't used lashing as punishment in a couple of decades. Why now?"

"I think we all want to know that" Sasuke said "I think maybe somebody is behind the council and their decision, someone worse than we have ever expected to fight." even as he said it, he wondered if Madara could be behind it, maybe it was his way of weakening the seal so that he could get nine tails. But if that was the case Madara would have had to have some kind of plan for containing nine tails. Sasuke hadn't seen anything that indicated a container for a powerful demon. One thing was sure, it wasn't going to be pleasant for whomever had decided to start this mess. Picking on Naruto, a beloved Nin, by many in the village, was a good way to start a war. It was clear that someone wanted Konoha on their knees, someone from the inside wanted Konoha brought down. The question was, would the faithful Konoha Nin be able to stop it before it destroyed the entire village?

Sitting up, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to sleep, Sasuke slipped out of his bed, and headed towards the exit. He was going to sit with Naruto and maybe he would be able to think a little clearer.

Five minutes later, Sasuke slipped in beside a sleeping Kakashi who was sitting by Naruto's side. Naruto's chest heaved with each breathe he took, making Sasuke wonder if he was in a lot of pain at that moment. Sitting down, Sasuke stared at Naruto.

"You brought me back, and defeated Pein, how is it possible that the village still treats you like you aren't worthy of respect?" Sasuke wondered. "You have become a very strong Nin, and yet the villagers don't recognize your strength. There is something wrong with that." Sasuke said, as he took in Naruto's heart rate on the monitor. It was a little fast, but nothing to worry about, at least Sasuke didn't think so.

"Why did the Council give you such a harsh punishment? Surely, it's not just because of nine tails" Sasuke wondered. He was getting a picture of Konoha that he didn't like. Like maybe returning to Konoha hadn't been worth it, maybe Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were, and maybe a few others. He knew that Naruto had been hated because of Nine Tails but surely that couldn't have lasted after everything Naruto had done for the village could it?

"You're not the only one that wants an answer to why the council decided to punish him that way." Kakashi said from beside Sasuke. He had woken up when the boy had entered the room. He knew the turn of events were bothering him as much as they were the other team members.

"Is is because of Nine Tails do you think?" Sasuke asked turning towards Kakashi "Was this their way or provoking Naruto, to make him angry enough that he would slip into Nine Tails mode? If that was the case, it would give them enough reason to execute him." Kakashi frowned it hadn't even crossed his mind that they would try to provoke him into letting lose the nine tails.

"That would be very low of them, but I wouldn't put it past them to attempt it. After all they hold nothing but contempt for Naruto, despite the many things he has accomplished." Kakashi said.

"Will they try again? If that is the reason they are doing this?" Sasuke asked, worry filling him. Naruto was sick enough as it was, he wouldn't be able to defend himself against another attack.

"Very possible" Kakashi said, hoping that Tsunade finished whatever it was she was doing so she could get here and help Naruto. If things were as Sasuke supposed they were things were going to continue to get ugly, until the council members were either dead, or Naruto was dead. Kakashi refused to accept the latter. He wasn't going to fail his team again.

"Where can we take Naruto where he will be safe while he heals?" Sasuke asked, wanting to get as far from the land of fire as possible. They would all be considered missing Nin now, which meant the Anbu would be hunting them soon.

"I don't know. I would rather find out what Tsunade has in mind first, before we just disappear with him." Kakashi said "Besides I am sure in the coming days he will want those he is familiar with to be around him, he's not going to trust someone he doesn't know so easily."

"We don't always have enough time" Sasuke said "If they find where we are, we will have to run and we won't be able to tell Tsunade where we are. It would be safer that way anyways." Sasuke said. He wanted to know what The Hokage had in mind, she had seemed to be aware that the council had been up to something. It made Sasuke wonder how long she had been suspicious of them, if she could have prevented this situation by arresting the council earlier, Sasuke was going to be pissed. If Naruto had went through that whole agonizing scene for nothing Sasuke was going to be pissed. Turning back to Naruto, he noticed that Naruto's were barely open.

"Hey, loser" Sasuke muttered "It's about time you woke up."

"Shut up… bastard." Naruto slurred, bringing out a small smile on Sasuke's face. It seemed like his idiotic friend was still the same.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked, unsure of what to say.

"Like I got tossed off of a cliff, before being picked up and tossed over it again." Naruto answered, wincing at the pull of the stitches in his back.

"You need to rest" Kakashi spoke up "You are still sick, your back is infected and I didn't help matters much."

"You were just trying to help" Naruto slurred even as his eyes closed and he drifted back into unconsciousness. Kakashi shook his head. Naruto had always been a forgiving kid, no matter what anyone done to him.

"You're parents would be proud of you kid." Kakashi muttered as he walked over to the window and looked out. The sun was getting ready to rise, the colors were starting to brighten up the sky. This was typically Kakashi's favorite time of day, he would always find himself at the memorial stone right before the sun rose. This time though, Kakashi supposed he should be grateful that they all had lived to see another sunrise. After all they had committed treason just by helping Naruto. The price was well worth it in Kakashi's eyes. To have watched the kid suffer in silence and being unable to do anything about it had been unbearable.

Sasuke sighed and turned his troubled eyes back to Naruto. He still had a ton of questions, one of which was, would the Akatsuki still be after Naruto. They were without Itachi, but Sasuke knew that wouldn't likely stop them when it came to getting what they wanted. He knew they were after Naruto for the Nine Tails, but hopefully they could keep their distance away from those guys while Naruto recovered. It was going to take some time for Naruto to recover, if he managed to fight of the infection that was currently roaring through him.

"How bad is Naruto's heart?" Sasuke asked out of thin air. He needed to know if Naruto would be able to fight, if he could manage to make a few shadow clones, they would be able to get away should trouble arise in the next few days.

"It's pretty badly damaged." Kakashi replied avoiding Sasuke's eyes. "At this point we are not sure how long it's going to hold out." Sasuke frowned and swallowed hard. Seriously, how had things gotten this bad this quickly? Scowling, Sasuke wondered if one of the council members hearts would work for Naruto. They started this whole situation it was only fitting that they end it to.

"I want to go back to Konoha and rip out the council members hearts." Sasuke snarled like an animal that was in great deal of pain. "I want to give those hearts to Naruto, surely one of them would work for him."

"Maybe" Kakashi said afraid he was going to push the boy over the edge. "Right now it's safer that we stay away from Konoha. You and I both know there is about to be a string of violence unleashed in Konoha, there are Nin there who won't tolerate what happened to Naruto, you know. And besides Tsunade has something up her sleeve, I'm just not sure what it is just yet."

"By the time that so called 'civil war' has finished, there is a good chance that Naruto won't be alive." Sasuke stated, his voice harsh. "if we go by what you say, Naruto will be dead long before it ever finishes."

"Maybe not" Kakashi said "there are things that the doctors here are going to try, its just that the chance of success are very slim." Sasuke shook his head and walked over to the window.

"Naruto always liked it when the odds were stacked against him." Sasuke said leaning his head against the window. He didn't like the way his heart ached at the thought of losing Naruto. He didn't like the thought of losing anyone that he cared about.

"We could build an army to help those in Konoha that are willing to go against the council. Because you and I both know they are going to try and have Tsunade declared unfit to be Hokage." Sasuke said suddenly leaning back and looking at Kakashi. "If the Council is behind this, their next logical step would be to do away with the Hokage so that they can make the rules and enforce their ideas. After that they will weed out those loyal to Konoha out of the Anbu and active Shinobi. That won't be hard to do because they will be the ones most loudly proclaiming against Naruto's treatment."

"You're right of course." Kakashi said "That is the most logical step, but who would we get to to join forces against Konoha?"

"Suna for one." Sasuke said "When Gaara finds out what they done to Naruto he will have no trouble breaking the treaty until things are back to normal. And besides that Suna has a large military force that will make it easy to take Konoha back."

"It almost scares me how easily this all came to you." Kakashi muttered "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you planned this from the moment you returned to Konoha." Sasuke scowled at him.

"I'm only doing it for Naruto." Sasuke said glaring at the masked man. "Naruto didn't deserve to have his skin flayed off his back for the world to see. He deserves more respect, and whether he's alive or dead I will make sure he gets the respect he deserves."

 **WAR IS COMING thanks for reading and reviewing. Liz**


	5. Chapter 5

Tortured beyond repair

Chapter 5

Sasuke remained beside Naruto's beside till morning, refusing to leave for fear that Naruto would make his escape sometime when Sasuke wasn't around to convince him to stay. Naruto was the only friend that really even cared enough about him to track him down when he was feeling moody. Which was more often than Sasuke liked lately, it seemed like the only thing he could think about around Konoha was when his parents had been murdered and his brother had fled. Yes, know he knew the reasoning behind what had happened, but that still didn't make it any easier for the Uchiha to deal with. He had loved his parents, he hadn't known anything about what they had been plotting, he'd just been a child. At the time he didn't understand why Itachi had done what he'd done, but now that he did he couldn't help but wonder about his parents. Did they tell someone else what they had been planning, did they somehow inform the council of their plans. Even someone had done that, why wait this long to implement the plan. It wasn't like they had known who would be Hokage after the fourth died. Scowling, Sasuke turned and looked over at Naruto. Their situation had just gotten a thousand times more complicated than it had been yesterday.

"I don't know how yet" Sasuke muttered "But I am going to find a way to make sure you pull through this mess."

"I just got a hawk from Lady Tsunade" Kakashi said entering the room. "Hell has broken out in Konoha, the council have made their move to state that The Hokage is unfit to rule in this trying time."

"This trying time." Sasuke snorted "It's a war that they started, and it's a war they are going to lose. We are going to have to get to Suna as soon as possible. Because they send Anbu out after they traitors didn't they?" Kakashi nodded.

"I don't know that Naruto is strong enough to survive the journey to Suna." he added knowing he would likely send the Uchiha over the edge.

"Anything is better than staying here and just waiting for them to show up. They won't give us a chance, they will kill just because we helped him." Sasuke pointed out. "unfortunately the journey is necessary anyways because we really need to talk to Gaara before the council sends someone there."

Looking back at Naruto, Sasuke hated that he was going to have to remove him from the medical care that he so clearly needed, but at the same time Suna had better medical services to offer, so that had to mean something.

"The news from Konoha only gets worse." Kakashi said "The known supporters of Naruto are being attacked in broad daylight, no one cares about it, other than the other supporters. Iruka was attacked, while he is mostly okay, he won't be able to defend Konoha." Sasuke scowled, whoever was controlling this mess was making their move quicker than he had expected them too.

"Well, whoever is behind this mess certainly isn't wasting any time." Sasuke muttered. "Tell me Tsunade is helping them escape." Kakashi nodded.

"She is telling all Naruto supporters to leave, we are all to meet in Suna. If we get there first we are to explain the situation to Gaara and have him not send any military support."

"After Gaara takes one look at Naruto, good luck stopping him from destroying Konoha. With all of Naruto's supporters gone, there will be nothing to stop him."

"Unless whoever is doing this also wants to draw out ten tails." Sasuke said "it could just be a ploy to get all the tailed beasts."

"Maybe" Kakashi said "But it definitely feels like it's focusing on just Naruto at the moment."

"We have to get out of here," Sasuke muttered he wasn't getting a good feeling the longer they stood there talking. "Get Naruto on my back and go get Sakura."

"I'm starting to wonder who is team leader here." Kakashi muttered as he approached Naruto's bed. Sasuke scowled at him. They really didn't have time for this, they could discuss it later, when death wasn't hanging over all their heads.

Kakashi unhooked Naruto from all the machines, wincing when Naruto moaned as Kakashi gently pulled him to a sitting position. From there he grabbed Naruto around the waist and hoisted him up onto Sasuke's back, gently wrapping Naruto's injures wrists around Sasuke's neck.

"I don't need to tell you to be careful with him." Kakashi muttered as he took off to gather Sakura, leaving Sasuke to stare out the window, wondering at the danger that he knew was heading their way. Could they make it to Suna in a full day? Sasuke wasn't sure but they were going to try like hell. Naruto's life and Konoha's future depended on it. Sakura joined them a few minutes later, looking sleepy but concerned.

"What's going on?" she asked upon seeing Naruto on Sasuke's back.

"We're going to Suna and we are going to bring hell down on Konoha." Sasuke answered grimly, before exiting the building and heading for the nearby forest.

"We are going to keep going until we reach Suna." Sasuke told them "we don't have time to stop and rest, Anbu are on their way already for all we know."

"Will Naruto make it?" Sakura asked fearing the answer, she didn't want her teammate to die. She would do anything she could to help him and protect him.

"I don't know." Sasuke answered "But I do know they have a better medical team in Suna, which is all that we can hope for." He rushed through across the ground, barely feeling Naruto's weight on his back. He only hoped that Naruto had enough strength in him to keep fighting. Sasuke didn't know if the war would be long, but it would be tiring to all those fighting.

They can ran for the next several hours, stopping only to grab a drink of water. Kakashi repeatedly attempted to get Naruto to drink but he couldn't get any water past Naruto's parched lips.

"Come on Naruto, you need this water even more than the rest of us do." Kakashi muttered. After several tries, Kakashi gave up not knowing what to do.

"Help me get him off." Sasuke said, "I think I can get him to drink." Helping to lower Naruto to the ground, Sasuke found himself staring into a barely conscious Naruto's blue eyes.

"You're going to get even sicker if you don't drink something." Sasuke told him as he took the water from Kakashi. "Can you at least try to drink for me?" Sasuke asked "I wouldn't want a masked man to force water down my throat either." Kakashi scowled at him but noticed a thin smile on Naruto's lips. Sasuke reached out, and gently tilting Naruto's head back, poured a little water into Naruto's mouth. Naruto swallowed, painfully but he opened his mouth for some more.

"Good job." Sasuke muttered giving him a little more. When he was finished Kakashi helped Naruto back onto Sasuke's back. They were all getting tired, but they had to get to their destination. If all hell was breaking loose right now in Konoha, Sasuke strongly suspected that the Council had some sort of military force willing to back them up. Which meant they had best get to Suna as quickly as possible. Who knew what the Council had in store for those that supported Naruto. Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if they even tried to put them to death.

As they ran, Sasuke could sense an unknown chakra following them. He prayed they weren't enemy Nin, because that was the last thing they needed at the moment, they were exhausted from running all day. Sasuke didn't know where he would find the strength to fight, and he knew Naruto wouldn't be able too, the hyperactive Nin was barely conscious as it was.

Even as they ran, Sasuke heard Naruto give a sharp grunt of pain.

"Sasuke watch out" he heard Sakura cry out even as he heard another cry of pain from Naruto. It was as he expected enemy Nin, the only good thing was they were about to cross the boarders into Suna. They just have to survive until they could meet with the Kazekage.

Glancing behind him, Sasuke saw a kunai flying him, growling under his breath, Sasuke pushed himself harder. They didn't have too much further to go, they just had to get away from these guys, whoever they were.

Hearing a strangled cry come from Naruto's lips, Sasuke forced himself to run even faster, Naruto couldn't handle the battle right now, and who knows how many hits he had taken, his back wounds had probably been reopened.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sasuke said "I should have seen this one coming." Sasuke didn't like knowing that Naruto had added even more injuries to himself because they hadn't managed to escape without being noticed. However, there was nothing he could do at the moment, besides throw a kunai blindly behind him, praying that he would slow the enemy enough to get ahead.

"Sasuke, take Naruto ahead." Kakashi ordered "Sakura and I will deal with these guys!" Sasuke nodded and headed toward the boarder again. An hour later, Sasuke approached the boarder to see people standing in a line waiting for him. He was still far enough away that he couldn't see if it was someone friendly or the enemy. Sasuke silently hoped it wasn't the enemy he was beyond exhausted and he knew Naruto's condition was even worse.

The closer he got though, he noticed the group was coming out to meet him, Sasuke didn't think he had ever been more relieved than when he saw Gaara's figure standing with his arms across his chest and his gourd on his back.

"Uchiha," Gaara said "You want to tell me why we received a summons telling Suna not to accept you in the village." Sasuke groaned he should have known that the village would try this crap already.

"Take a look at Naruto and then tell me you won't take us in" Sasuke replied and Gaara stepped around to see Naruto clinging to Sasuke's back. Gaara's eyes went wide with horror at the sight of Naruto's back,it had been beyond ripped to shreds and then Naruto had taken more than one hit from a kunai while they had been fleeing the land of waves.

"What happened?" Gaara asked as he motioned for the Suna medics to come forward.

"The Council happened." Sasuke replied not liking it when Naruto was taken from him. It was his job and only his job to protect the blonde. It was the least he could do after what Naruto had been through to bring him back home.

"The Council had Tsuande send Kakashi, Sakura and I on a mission and had Naruto remain in the village. When we returned we found Naruto chained to a post having his life whipped out of him." Sasuke swallowed hard at the memory, it still made him sick thinking about it. "To my knowledge Naruto had done nothing to deserve the punishment he got. We got him loose and took off. From what I understand that Council declared Tsunade unfit to rule as Hokage, and they are having all Naruto supporters severely punished."

Gaara closed his eyes, feeling a wave of sympathy for what his friend had suffered. He hadn't thought that the Council had it in them to be so cruel. He wished they were a little closer and he would crush them with his sand. Rage tore through Gaara making everyone step a little ways away from him. They knew what he was capable of and knowing that Naruto was a good friend to him, knew that Gaara would unleash unholy hell on Konoha.

"Gaara, I fear for Naruto's life, he's sick already but in order to free him, Kakashi had to use his lightening jutsu and I fear it has damaged Naruto's heart." Sasuke said catching the furious red heads attention. "He really needs help, he's severely dehydrated and I fear most of the wounds have opened on his back again."

"You have no worries, Uchiha," Gaara said "you have no reason to fear Suna, we will take care of Naruto and provide you with whatever you need. Whether it be an army or food." Sasuke closed his eyes. Thankful in that moment for Naruto's friendship with Gaara. Even as he watched the Suna medics take off with Naruto, he noticed Gaara didn't take his eyes off of the blonde.

"How could your village do that to him?" Gaara asked rage clear in his voice. "The village that he's nearly died for time and time again, how could they do something as cruel as this?"

"I don't know" Sasuke answered honestly "The only answer I have is that Konoha has been sitting on their hate for a long time and allowing it to fester until it grew infected and leaked out, infecting others as it went."

"Sounds a lot like you were when you were younger." Gaara commented turning his angry eyes on Sasuke. "How do I know you didn't have anything to do with this? After all you were the one that wanted to kill Naruto."

"If I wanted to kill Naruto why would I have brought him here?" Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes at Gaara. "I would have left him chained to that post and let him bleed to death. Obviously I don't want him to die." How much plainer could Sasuke put it, Naruto was probably his closest friend. Deep down even when he had been seeking revenge against Itachi, Sasuke didn't think he had ever really wanted to kill Naruto. As it was Sasuke didn't think he would ever forget the sound of the whip ripping Naruto's back to pieces, it almost made him shudder thinking about it.

"Where are they taking Naruto?" Sasuke asked, knowing that Naruto would have the best possible care in Suna because Gaara would make sure of it, but he still wanted to be there to protect him himself.

Turning his back to Sasuke, Gaara looked out at the horizon where he could see shapes of more people rushing towards them.

"He will be taken care of." Gaara replied, his eyes narrowed on the shadows. "You don't have to worry about that." Sasuke turned and found what Gaara was looking at, he hoped that it was Kakashi and Sakura. He couldn't help but worry about them, they had been outnumbered and while they were both talented Shinobi, Sasuke doubted they could handle the amount of Nin that had been following them.

Turning towards the soldiers that had remained with him, Gaara looked at them, rage seething quietly.

"Be prepared for anything, Konoha has become an enemy seeking to destroy her own Nin. We will not allow them them here. We will allow those seeking shelter from Konoha to rest here. Our alliance with Konoha is no more." Gaara declared, knowing his decision was unusual but it there had been precedent for alliances being destroyed on a battlefield before, so they would accept his decision. He would do anything for Naruto, the first person to call him a friend. He wouldn't allow Konoha to get by with what they were currently doing to him. Naruto worked too hard, had taken so much pain on his own shoulders just for Konoha. Gaara wasn't going to allow Konoha to spit that back in his face. Gaara knew how it felt to be mistreated and to be feared for something he'd had no control over. Through the course of time Naruto had worked hard to change his village's opinion of him, and for a while it had looked like it had succeeded. However, right now it looked like hate was the stronger emotion, Gaara wanted nothing more to destroy those who had so willingly done this to Naruto. Naruto of course, wouldn't want him to, but this time Gaara wouldn't listen. Those Council members had to learn that Suna's alliance with Konoha only stood because of everything Naruto had done to save him when he'd been in the clutches of the Akatsuki. They would learn that there was nothing that Gaara wouldn't do to protect his friendship. They would learn that the Kazekage of Suna wasn't one to be trifled with, they would pay for the mistake they had made when they had willingly hurt Naruto.

Clutching sand tightly in his fist, Gaara closed his eyes, struggling to reign in his temper. He had seen Naruto come through some rough situations but seeing him like this, made Gaara wonder if Naruto could pull through this time. There was only so much pain that the body could take it would only be natural at some point for Naruto to be defeated, no matter how strong he was.

"These enemy Nin were following you?" Gaara asked his eyes remaining focused on the figures in front of him.

"Yes, Sakura and Kakashi remained behind to give me a chance to get away with Naruto." Sasuke said "I am sure some of them were able to slip away from the main group and follow."

"You shouldn't have made it to the boarders then" Gaara said clinching the sand tighter. If they hadn't made it here, Gaara hated the thought of where Naruto would have ended up. Probably in some place that wasn't even friendly with Konoha enduring who knows what kind of horrors.

"Probably shouldn't have" Sasuke agreed "But I wasn't going to allow Naruto to be captured again, who knows what would have happened."

"He probably would have died." Gaara said grimly as the enemy got closer to them. He wouldn't allow them to pass into Suna, he would do a better job of protecting Naruto then Konoha ever did.

As the Nin got closer, Sasuke pulled out a kunai, he was exhausted but he was willing to fight to protect his friendship with Naruto, he didn't care what it cost him.

It didn't take long for the enemy to reach them, and as Sasuke fought along side Gaara. He could swear that he felt Gaara's rage as he crushed whatever Nin dared to approach him. Sasuke almost felt sorry for the Anbu that had dared to attempt to hurt Naruto further than he already was. Gaara was clearly furiously protective over Naruto and it showed as he crushed his 6th Anbu with his sand.

"You will regret what Konoha has done to Naruto" Gaara seethed as he grabbed an Anbu and nearly gutted him with a kunai. "of course, you won't live to really regret it." throwing the Anbu's body away like trash, Gaara faced the few that still lived.

"I'm going to let you live." Gaara said his voice, dark and threatening. "Only you are going to return to Konoha and give them this warning: If they insist on pursuing Naruto, Suna will rise up and crush them like the bugs they are. If they dare send anymore troops to Suna they will not return, they will be dumped in the dessert with no hope of being buried by their loved ones. The Kazekage will now break any alliance with Konoha until the rightful Hokage is returned to power. If you don't deliver this message you will regret it." Gaara finished glaring at the Nin before him. It shouldn't have surprised him that they were so weak, it took a lot of power to be able to measure up as a ninja in Gaara's eyes, and so far the only one that had even accomplished that was Naruto.

Gaara smirked as he watched the Anbu take off in the opposite direction of Suna. He doubted the foolish Council would heed his warning, which meant he would have to cause untold damage in Konoha, but considering the rate of disease in the town , that might not be such a bad thing. He wondered if it would be possible to eliminate all the hate in just one swoop. He doubted it, he found it hard to believe that Konoha still harbored any hate towards Naruto, after what the kid had gone through for them.

Without saying a word, Gaara turned and made his way to the city. He had a friend to check on, he couldn't imagine the pain Naruto was in right now, even if he was unconscious. Gaara had only gotten a glimpse of his back, what he had seen was enough to make him sick.

Half an hour later, Sasuke followed Gaara into the Suna hospital and then after going down a few halls and making a few turns, they entered Naruto's room.

Naruto was barely conscious, staring at the floor, lying on his stomach. While medic Nin's worked on his back. Sasuke had been right about Naruto being hit with Kunai and opening more than a few of his wounds. Blood ran freely down Naruto's back, even as the Medic's tried to stifle the flow.

"Condition?" Gaara asked not caring about pleasantries when it was his friend lying on the table.

"Critical but stable." The head medic replied as she pressed a gauze pad down on one of the deeper cuts, causing Naruto to let out a soft cry of pain.

"How bad are the wounds" Gaara asked as he approached the bed to take a closer look for himself.

"Some of the deeper wounds are badly infected, it looks like they were infected before the stitches were ever put in." The medic replied "However some of the newer injuries are starting to show signs of poison." Both Sasuke's and Gaara's eyes narrowed at the word poison.

"How bad?" Sasuke demanded.

"It's had a good amount of time to set in, I am afraid, but Its not a poison that will be hard to contradict." The medic replied for a moment afraid of the red eyed man standing beside him. Sasuke growled low under his breath, he should have known that the Anbu would be cowardly enough to attempt to poison Naruto. Would the attacks never end?

Kneeling down, Sasuke made sure he was eye level with Naruto. The kid's normally bright blue eyes were dulled with pain and shock. Sasuke couldn't imagine how much Naruto was hurting right now.

"You're going to be okay." He told Naruto "Tsunade will meet us here soon, and she will be able to fix whatever these guys can't. you just have to stay strong and keep on fighting for us."

"Hurts" Naruto mumbled as he struggled to keep his eyes open and trained on Sasuke.

"I know." Sasuke said softly, hating that he couldn't do anything. "These guys will give you something to make it feel better." he looked up at the medic nin's flashing his sharingan to make sure that he was understood.

"There is no need to threaten my medics." Gaara said amused at Sasuke's antics. "They will take care of him, more so than your own village."

"Good" Sasuke muttered and then turned his attention back to Naruto. His friend's eyes were just barely open, and Sasuke knew he wasn't likely going to get anything else out of him.

"If anything else happens, I don't know that I could handle it" Sasuke admitted as he slowly stood to his feet. "He's been like a brother even when I wasn't worthy, he kept fighting for me."

"He made me understand what true friendship was" Gaara added "he believed in me when no one else did. That is why I am disregarding anything the Council says. I know that Naruto isn't capable of doing any of the crimes they have said he did."

"The Council's time is coming." Sasuke said darkly "They might think that they have us on the run for right now. But we will come back stronger than we were before we left."

"You will also have Suna's strength as well." Gaara said "I don't think the Council thought I would disregard the alliance just for one shinobi. But Naruto is worth a thousand of those two. I fear though that the situation will get worse before it ever gets better."

"Be that as it may" Sasuke said "I am only loyal to the Konoha that Naruto is a part of."

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I am also working on another story it's called Take your pain, and it's going to be a series of one shots of when Naruto saves his teammates and is hurt in the process. I am working on that one and many of the other projects that I have started. So look for it soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Tortured beyond repair

Chapter 6

Sasuke stared down at Naruto, his friend was once more unconscious. For that Sasuke supposed that he should be grateful, it meant that for a change Naruto wasn't hurting. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but be concerned about Naruto's heart. The monitor was showing that everyone once in a while his heart was skipping a beat. Sooner or later, that heart would stop beating completely. Sasuke was concerned that it would be much sooner than anyone expected. There was only so much pain a person could go through before it effected the rest of the body.

"You should get some rest, Uchiha, Naruto is in good hands." Gaara said but Sasuke shook his head.

"I'm staying with Naruto, at least until Kakashi and Sakura get here. He doesn't deserve to be alone after everything he has suffered already."

"He won't be alone" Gaara said "I have on intention of leaving him right now." Sasuke was grateful that Naruto had someone has powerful as the Kazekage on his side, Gaara wouldn't allow any harm to come to Naruto.

"I'm afraid if I'm not with him, he'll take his last breath and I won't be able to say goodbye." Sasuke admitted. This fear had constantly been eating at him since they had found Naruto being brutally beaten. Sasuke had already lost his family, he didn't think he could handle it if he lost his best friend too.

"You should know that my medics won't allow that to happen" Gaara said "we are going to do everything in our power to keep him alive."

"Sometimes everything in your isn't enough." Sasuke said quietly, watching as Naruto slowly opened his eyes. The normally bright blue eyes were still dulled by pain, but they were a little clearer than they had been the last time he had regained consciousness.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked knowing it was a stupid question because Naruto's condition hadn't improved all that much.

"Terrible" Naruto croaked softly. "where am I?"

"You are in Suna" Gaara answered, stepping into Naruto's line of vision. Naruto frowned.

"Hell has broken out in Konoha" Sasuke answered Naruto's silent question "right now Suna is the safest place for you."

"Bad idea bringing me here." Naruto groaned softly "Konoha will bring hell to Suna, Gaara don't need that."

"Don't worry about Suna" Gaara answered "I would worry about your recovery, you are going to have a ways to go before you are completely better." Naruto groaned and raised his hand to his chest, and rubbed weakly over his heart.

"Why does my heart hurt so much?" Naruto asked.

"Because of Kakashi's lightening jutsu." Sasuke answered "but Gaara has his medics looking for something to help reverse the damage." Gaara frowned at Sasuke, Sasuke just shook his head at Gaara, silently imploring the kazekage to go along with him.

A few minutes later Naruto was asleep again. Sasuke sighed before looking up at Gaara.

"We have to find a way to help him before he slips into a more permanent state."

"My medics will be doing everything they can." Gaara replied "I don't want Naruto to die anymore than you do."

"If he does it will be like losing my family again" Sasuke said softly "I can't go through that again. Especially not after everything he done to bring me back to the village."

Sighing, Sasuke grabbed the nearest chair, and pulled it up right next to the bed. Sasuke didn't care what Gaara said, he wasn't leaving Naruto. They all knew how well that had turned out the last time. Sasuke watched the uneven rise of Naruto's chest. He wondered if they would even be able to find a cure for the heart problem that wouldn't include surgery. Naruto wouldn't have time to recover from any kind of surgery before trouble came brewing. Sasuke would do whatever it took to protect Naruto but Naruto was going to need to be able to defend himself in case they got separated. Right now, Naruto was like a sitting duck in this condition. It would be really easy for someone to sneak in and put an end to an unguarded Naruto. That was one of the reasons why Sasuke refused to leave him alone, even if they were in Suna. There was never any guarantee that there wasn't someone around that despised the jinchuriki. Sasuke would do a better job of protecting Naruto than he had before.

Gaara watched Sasuke for a few moments before turning his back on him. His thoughts racing with how he was going to help Naruto get better before they went and reclaimed Konoha. One thing was certain the people that had just sat by and watched this happen to Naruto was going to pay with their lives, clearly there weren't many people that cared about Naruto's suffering. Not like Naruto's few close friends did anyhow.

Sighing, Gaara turned towards the sound of rushing feet, he stood still, reaching for his sand should anyone from Konoha be stupid enough to attack Naruto in his own hospital room, turning his head Gaara could Sasuke sitting a little straighter, his red eyed gaze staring at the door.

"How is he?" A pink haired nin asked, gasping for air as she entered the room, a silver haired masked man right behind her. Sasuke relaxed his posture when he saw it was only his teammates.

"A little worse for the wear." Sasuke replied turning back to Naruto, he couldn't help but wonder why it had taken Kakashi and Sakura so long to get here. It should have taken them two hours at the most, not six. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched Sakura walk up to Naruto. He watched as she placed his hand on his cheek, stroking gently.

"Naruto, I'm glad you are still with us. Now that we are in Suna maybe you can get the help you deserve." Sakura murmured as she took a step back away from Naruto and turned towards Sasuke and Gaara.

"What's the plan for helping Naruto?" Sakura asked sounding more and more like someone who was just pretending to be Sakura.

"I don't like my plans to revealed just yet." Gaara replied "Besides I'm not entirely sure what Naruto is going to need done yet."

"He needs a new back for one" Sakura muttered "didn't you see the damage done to him?"

"Kind of hard not to notice" Sasuke said coolly, his suspicion beginning to rise. He didn't know what it was but there was something that he didn't look. Glancing over at Gaara, he could tell the Kazekage had also noticed.

Kakashi for someone that had been so worried about Naruto had yet to even step up next to the bed to greet the unconscious Naruto. Sasuke looked over at his young friend, Naruto's chest was panting harshly again, almost as if it was hurting him just to breathe. Sasuke hated that Naruto was hurting even in his unconsciousness. He wished he could ease that pain but Sasuke didn't want to allow Naruto to die to allow that to happen.

"Why not just let him go?" Sakura asked watching Naruto's chest heave in slow painful movements. "It's pretty clear that he's suffering right now."

"I believe that Naruto can be helped" Sasuke replied "he doesn't have to die because everyone in Konoha wants him too."

"Sakura's right." Kakashi finally spoke up "we should let him go, we don't know the effects that my jutsu caused him. Naruto doesn't deserve to suffer anymore." Sasuke glared at Kakashi, who was this man? It couldn't be the leader that Sasuke had slowly come to respect. The real Kakashi wasn't a coward and wouldn't ever stop fighting for his teammates.

Standing up, Sasuke turned his back to Naruto so that he could keep his eyes on both Sakura and Kakashi.

"I don't know who either of you are." Sasuke said "but you are not my teammates. My teammates were worried about Naruto and didn't want him to die. They wouldn't give up on him so easily." not to mention that both Sakura and Kakashi had been acting completely out of character since they had arrived in the room. They had to have known that Sasuke wasn't stupid and would figure it out. If the council thought they could get by with impersonating his teammates, they were wrong. The question of the hour was what did they do with the real Kakashi and Sakura.

"I don't want you anywhere close to Naruto" Sasuke told them, feeling even more determined to protect his badly injured teammate, even if he had to do it alone.

"You don't have to be so suspicious Sasuke" Sakura muttered "we are not going to hurt Naruto."

"Where have I heard that before?" Sasuke wondered out loud as he continued to glare at the two nins before him. "Probably from the villagers that tried to kill him." Sakura rolled her eyes and stepped towards Naruto again, but Sasuke flashed his sharingan at her. He meant it when he said he wasn't going to let these two get near Naruto. His friend was damaged enough as it was, Sasuke wasn't going to let anymore harm come to him.

"I think it would be best if you two left for the night and let Naruto get some rest." Gaara suggested though he silently signaled his guards to escort the two out of the room.

"Fine, we'll just wait for Sasuke to regain his senses." Sakura muttered glaring at Sasuke as she exited the room with Kakashi following silently behind her. Once they were out of the room, Sasuke turned towards Gaara and said:

"That's not my teammates. I don't know who they are but they are not getting close to Naruto."

"I did find them to be acting strange for people who claim that they care about Naruto." Gaara said "I will post guards and make sure they don't come back in. What's more worrisome is where your real teammates are."

"Probably in jail at this moment, waiting for their death sentence." Sasuke felt more powerless than ever. He knew that both Sakura and Kakashi would want him to stay with Naruto and keep him safe, but he couldn't allow his friend's to be put to death either. He didn't know what he needed to do at that moment. One look at Naruto though and Sasuke knew he wouldn't be leaving his friend, the young Nin looked like he wasn't far from death's door. If Naruto was going to die, Sasuke didn't want him to be alone, no one deserved to die alone. Besides Naruto had spent enough of his life without anyone caring for him.

 **What happened to Kakashi and Sakura? Keep reading and find out. (PS I still have a plan for Naruto.) thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	7. Chapter 7

Tortured Beyond Repair

Chapter 7

Sasuke sat beside Naruto, silently watching the younger boy sleep. Though Sasuke was exhausted from their flight from Konoha, he didn't think that he would be able to sleep. There were too many scenarios running through Sasuke's mind, and he didn't like any of them. He had to find a way to keep Naruto safe while he recovered from what he had been put through.

"You need to sleep you know," Gaara said from his place at the wall. "You won't do Naruto any good if you're exhausted."

"I know, but honestly, I'm afraid I'll have nightmares of Naruto getting beaten," Sasuke admitted. "I don't think I can deal with that without losing my sanity. Watching it the first time was bad enough."

"I can't imagine how bad it was to witness that," Gaara said, it still angered Gaara that the village council had decided to punish Naruto for a crime that Gaara was sure that Naruto didn't commit. "Konoha is going to pay for that mistake. Troops are getting ready to move out as we speak, Suna will gladly take any refugees from Konoha. We don't want to hurt the truly innocent."

"I would go with you," Sasuke said. "But I'm not leaving Naruto until someone I trust from Konoha gets here. I'm thinking Iruka or Tsunade."

"I can understand that. I don't think it will be too much longer until they get here. Unless Naruto's supporters have been jailed, and I wouldn't be surprised at that." Gaara said. "If that's the case, they will be freed shortly."

"I fear that's where Kakashi and Sakura are now," Sasuke said. "And I fear they won't have long before those dick head council members will try to have them executed. It wouldn't surprise me if they did the same to them as what they did to Naruto. They seem to be in favor of public punishment."

"They won't be there long, I can assure you," Gaara said. "Konoha is going to be overrun by Suna troops, Anbu included. I doubt the council members and Danzo will actually be prepared for the number of soldiers that I am sending. They will regret doing what they done."

"Good, and I hope you make them suffer before having them put to death." Sasuke muttered.

"Never knew you were so blood thirsty Gaara said.

"Only when it comes to protecting what's mine." Sasuke replied as he looked at Naruto he realized that's exactly what Naruto was: Sasuke's. of course Naruto wouldn't realize this right now, but when the time was right, he would. He would make Naruto his permanently, Sakura might not like it, but Sasuke didn't give a shit about that.

Sighing, Sasuke reached out and touched Naruto's pale face. Sasuke really hoped that Naruto would keep fighting to stay with them, because if he didn't and Naruto died, Sasuke would follow after him. Naruto wasn't going to get rid of him that easily.

"It's dangerous to think like that,"Gaara said. "To care about someone so much that you don't think you can live without them. Some would even say that it's downright unhealthy."

"How is loving someone dangerous?" Sasuke wondered. "I would do anything for him, including leaving the village again if I thought I would end up hurting him."

"With Naruto being as stubborn as he is, he would only end up dragging you back kicking and screaming so leaving again would be pointless," Gaara said.

"Probably," Sasuke said chuckling. He could see it now, Naruto dragging him back home. Sasuke wondered if Naruto fought so hard to bring him home the first time out of sheer loneliness. He knew Naruto's life hadn't been easy, he'd been alone and rejected before he was finally able to form bonds with Iruka and then the members of Team 7. Sasuke swallowed hard, he didn't like thinking of Naruto being lonely, it reminded him of how Sasuke had grown up, focused on his revenge. Now that revenge didn't seem to matter as much because Sasuke was able to focus on what really mattered which was the friends that he'd left behind, and his own happiness.

Of course, Sasuke hadn't exactly been trusted by anyone other than Naruto when he returned. Sasuke wasn't sure if that was just because Naruto was naive or if he was just that lonely that he was willing to accept Sasuke's friendship as it was. Or perhaps Naruto had other reasons for accepting Sasuke's friendship without question. Sasuke sighed, he probably wouldn't know the answer to that for some time. Naruto wasn't exactly in the best shape to be discussing such matters with at the moment. Sasuke couldn't but wonder if Naruto would ever to get to a place where he was in a better place physically.

"Sasuke" a tired voice called his name from beside him, and Sasuke looked up to find Naruto staring at him bleary-eyed.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked, knowing it was a stupid question but needing to ask it any how.

"Sore and tired," Naruto answered tiredly. His head turned weakly to the side to catch sight of Gaara standing next to the wall.

"I imagine." Sasuke said, reaching out and taking hold of Naruto's hand and squeezing gently. "You've been unconscious off and on for the last few hours."

"Where's Iruka?" Naruto asked softly. "Has he made it out of Konoha?"

"I don't know. No one from Konoha is here yet." Sasuke answered. "I'm sure Iruka will get here soon though."

"I hope so." Naruto murmured. "I'm not sure I have it in me to last much longer."

"You're not dying," Sasuke said panic filling his chest at the thought. "Don't even think about it. We're going to find a way to help you, you just have to hang on."

"I'm trying," Naruto whispered. "It's just so damn hard."

"I know, and if I could lend you my strength I would do just that," Sasuke said, feeling tears prick in his eyes. He couldn't stand the thought of Naruto dying. Sasuke felt like a part of his heart was dying. Naruto hadn't deserved to have this happen to him if anyone did it was Sasuke himself.

"I would trade places with you in heartbeat," Sasuke whispered. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to have to go through this."

"Someone like me?" Naruto asked, wondering what Sasuke meant.

"Someone as pure and innocent as you," Sasuke explained.

"Not innocent," Naruto mumbled. "I've spilled my share of blood."

"Maybe so but that doesn't make you any less innocent," Sasuke replied. "There's just something about you that's more innocent than anyone else that I know. Maybe it's the way you grew up that made you more sympathetic I don't know. I just know that you are different from the rest of us. You have a heart made of pure gold and that sets you above the rest of us."

"You have a way with words," Naruto mumbled, closing his eyes and once again losing consciousness. Sasuke worried that at the rate that Naruto was fading he wouldn't last to see the end of the council that had given him such a harsh and cruel punishment.

"He's right you know," Gaara said. "You do have a way with words. And you are right that he has a heart made of pure gold." Sasuke sighed and lowered his head to the mattress in front of him, he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to last without giving in to his own exhaustion. He really hoped that Iruka and Tsunade got here soon if Naruto was going to die than Sasuke wanted Naruto to be surrounded by the ones he loved. He deserves that much at least.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry for taking so long to update, I've had some writer's block when it came to this one. Liz

I've run it through a grammar program so hopefully my mistakes won't be very many.


	8. Chapter 8

Tortured Beyond Repair

Chapter 8

Gaara watched as Sasuke quickly fell asleep, only seconds after his head hit the mattress. He had figured the dark haired Uchiha wouldn't last much longer. He was clearly beyond exhausted, having fought to keep his friend safe from the very village that Naruto promised to protect. Gaara still couldn't understand why Konoha's Council would make a decision to punish Naruto in such a way. Could it because someone else had suggested the Council do what they had done? Could it be someone was trying to break the seal that was holding Nine-tails? If that was the case Gaara didn't think that they could have chosen a more painful way to go about it. Gaara's eyes narrowed on Naruto's shredded back, did someone want to destroy Konoha so bad that they would use the Jinchuuriki to do so. Gaara really didn't like that idea, he wondered who else could have been behind the council's decision, were they aware of the possibility that they were being used? The council must have been dumber than they looked if that was the case. Gaara shook his head regardless he was still going to bring hell down on Konoha for allowing Naruto to be treated as he was. Gaara had thought that whipping anyone like that had been outlawed a long time ago in Konoha. It was downright barbaric what they did and they would pay for it. Konoha would regret messing with Gaara's dear friend after Suna got through with them. They would be lucky if Gaara ever had another alliance with Konoha while those old crones were still alive.

A few minutes later a Suna nurse entered the room, and walked over to the bed and began looking at Naruto's shredded back, just the sight of Naruto's shredded back, made Gaara want to vomit. He couldn't imagine the pain that Naruto had gone through. Gaara wished he could have prevented it from happening to begin with, but he supposed all he could do now was make sure that Naruto was safe.

"How is he doing?" Gaara asked once the nurse finished checking Naruto's vitals.

"I fear he's going to need surgery on his heart." The nurse said. "I don't think I need to tell you that the odds of him surviving that are slim. But if he did that would increase his chances of survival greatly. The surgery won't repair all of the damage done to his heart, but it would help until a new heart could be found for him."

"I would like to give him the heart of the council member who ordered him to be punished like that," Gaara stated. "I can't believe that they thought they would be able to get by with it, without consequences." Gaara sighed as much as he wanted to stand guard over Naruto all night long, he still had plans that needed to be put into action and he needed to find room for the Konoha refugees that would soon be coming. He hoped the ones that Naruto loved the most would be among the ones to first arrive. He would rather that Naruto have them with him, while he struggling to live. Gaara had the feeling that he would find the strength to somehow keep fighting if they were here. Kami help the council members and those that planned on using Naruto as a weapon, if they had jailed the ones Naruto needed the most. Gaara was going to make sure that Naruto had them, even if he had to go Konoha and rescue them himself. Kami help whoever got in his way.

"Is he strong enough to make it through the night?" Gaara asked and the nurse shrugged.

"At this point, he could go either way." She told him. "But there is always hope. He might prove everyone wrong."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Gaara murmured, as he turned towards the door. "Hang tight Naruto, we'll get you what you need. Even if I have to murder someone to do it."

"I thought those days were behind you?" The nurse said as she turned back to Naruto, and began to gently apply medicine to Naruto's back.

"They are, but for Naruto, I will make an exception, especially after what his village done to him," Gaara replied. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for Naruto considering all that he has done for me." The nurse smiled she was glad that her Kazekage had such a friend as Naruto. That loyalty only made her want to do her best to make sure that Naruto survived.

"What could this kid have done to deserve being hit so harshly?" The nurse wondered. "His back is going to be terribly scarred, just goes to show how hard they hit him."

"He did absolutely nothing." Gaara replied. "A villager lied on him, and I think the Council had a little help in deciding his punishment. I believe someone was trying to weaken the seal so that the Nine-Tailed demon could escape."

"What's the point in doing that. The demon likely would have destroyed the village once he was free." The nurse said as she finished applying fresh bandages to Naruto's back.

"I think that was their game plan." Gaara said. "But I don't know that for sure. Whatever the case, I'm sure we'll end up destroying the village to rid Konoha of those assholes who are trying to take over."

"Kind of doing their job for them then." The nurse suggested.

"Maybe," Gaara replied, "At this point, I don't care. I only want them to pay for the harm they caused physically and mentally." Kami knows Naruto was likely to be scarred for life after this incident. It would be a miracle if he ever trusted another soul from Konoha, especially a villager. "I'll be back in a little while, I need to make sure there will be plenty of room for the refugees. Make sure no one but Sasuke is allowed in this room aside from." Gaara instructed. He didn't trust someone to not sneak in and try to silence both Naruto and Sasuke for good. The nurse nodded she understood Gaara's instructions perfectly. He meant to keep Naruto as safe as possible given his current circumstances.

"Got it." She told him as she gave Naruto some more pain medication, he would likely be waking up in a lot of pain which meant he would be putting stress on his heart which he didn't need at the time. Stress could cause him to go into cardiac arrest and the chances of bringing back from that would be slim. She knew that Gaara wanted Naruto alive so the best chance of doing that was keeping him sedated.

"Poor kid." She murmured, she had seen some things as a nurse but this case was one of the worst. To make matters worse the boy hadn't done anything to deserve it. She wondered if he would go back to that village once he recovered, she wouldn't blame him if he didn't. Who would want to go back to a village that was so willing to harshly punish you for something that you didn't do? "You have my sympathy." She murmured as she finished checking him over and turned towards the door.

Sasuke woke up a few minutes after the nurse left, sitting up he stretched his sore muscles. Standing up, he noticed that Naruto's bandages had been changed.

"Keep fighting, Naruto." Sasuke murmured. "Don't give up on us yet. Iruka's coming and so is Tsunade. She's going to help you get better." Sasuke hoped that as deeply as Naruto appeared to be unconscious, Sasuke hoped that he couldn't feel his injuries. He didn't want Naruto to be in any kind of pain. It hurt Sasuke's heart just thinking about it. If he could take Naruto's place he would do so.

Sighing, Sasuke began pacing the small room. He didn't know how long it would take Tsunade and Iruka to get here from Konoha, but he hoped they hurried. Sasuke was worried that something would end up happening to Naruto and he wanted them to be here for it, should the worst happen.

Suddenly the sound of rushing feet down the hall, had Sasuke tensing and getting into a battle stance. He didn't know who was coming but if they thought they were going to get to Naruto, it would be over Sasuke's dead body. No one was going to harm Naruto while Sasuke was there to stop him.

A few seconds later both Iruka and Tsunade appeared in the doorway, both looking exhausted and filthy. Sasuke supposed they'd had to fight their way out of Konoha.

"How is he?" Tsunade demanded as she approached the bed.

"Not good, his heart is very badly damaged." Sasuke replied. "He needs surgery but the nurse isn't sure of whether he's strong enough to survive it."

"I'll make sure he does." Tsunade said, as she reached and gently touched Naruto's face. "I wish I could have prevented this from happening period."

"I didn't think he would be this bad." Iruka murmured as he approached the bed, ignoring both Tsunade and Sasuke. Tears filled his eyes and he touched Naruto's hand.

"We're finally here." Iruka murmured. "And we aren't going anywhere. Just keep fighting for us."

"Tell Gaara I'm taking him into surgery." Tsunade told Sasuke. "I know it's risky but we have to do something about his heart. He'll need a new one of course, but since we don't have one of those on hand, open heart surgery will have to work for now."

"It's too risky." Sasuke protested, "he could die."

"Life is a risk." Tsunade replied. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it was necessary. He's only getting weaker by the second if we do nothing he'll be dead before the end of the day. I don't think you want that do you?" Sasuke shook his head, he only wanted Naruto to live so that Sasuke could claim him.

"I'll take care of him Sasuke. You know I won't let anything else happen to him." Tsunade reassured the worried Uchiha. "I won't let him die, without doing my best to save him."

"Better not." Sasuke mumbled. "I don't know what I would do without him." Tsunade smiled, she'd had the feeling that Sasuke cared for Naruto more than he let on.

"I'm good at what I do. You don't have to fear." Tsunade replied as she moved Naruto over to a moving gurney, careful to avoid putting too much pressure on his back.

"Please take care of him." Iruka pleaded. "I love that child more than any other. He deserves to live."

"I'll do my best." Tsunade murmured before disappearing out the door with Naruto. Now all Iruka and Sasuke could do was wait, wait to see if Naruto would live or die.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz


	9. Chapter 9

Tortured Beyond Repair

Chapter 9

Once Tsunade had gotten Naruto situated in the operating room, she placed a mask over his face, inserting a tube into his mouth so that he would be able to breathe she operated on him. She really didn't want him to wake up while she was in the middle of performing surgery. While she supposed she should be nervous because of the risks, she wasn't. she was calm and collected as she prepared the instruments she would need to work on Naruto's heart.

Once she was satisfied that Naruto wouldn't be waking up in the middle of surgery, Tsunade reached over to the small metal table and picked up a scalpel. Lowering the instrument to Naruto's chest, she made a small incision, before placing the scalpel back on the table and picking up the chest spreader that she inserted into the incision and turned a knob that pulled Naruto's skin back, giving her a good view of Naruto's insides.

"Here goes nothing kiddo." She murmured as she reached for another tool that would be used to help spread Naruto's ribs so that she could reach Naruto's heart. "Just hang on for me, I'm going to find a way to save you."

Once she had his ribs spread, she reached for the tool that would help her repair some of the damage that had been done to Naruto's heart. Reaching the organ, Tsunade winced at the sight of the badly damaged organ, she was honestly surprised that it was still beating. It looked like it had been completely fried, she knew she wouldn't be able to repair much, Naruto was going to need a new heart. She only hoped that they could find one in time to save him.

"For the good, it has done saving you, Kakashi's lightning jutsu certainly caused enough problems," Tsunade muttered as she carefully cut into Naruto's heart to get to a valve that was barely pumping any blood. There wasn't much she could do for the damaged valve expect to remove it and replace it with a plastic valve. It wouldn't completely fix Naruto's problems but it would certainly help at least a little. Once she had cut out the value, she picked up the small plastic one and inserted it into Naruto's heart, careful to make sure that the valve connected to all the right places before she sewed it up with stitches that would dissolve in a few weeks. When that was done, Tsunade carefully moved the ribs back into place, taping them gently so that they wouldn't move. Afterwards she removed the skin spreader and sewed his chest up.

"You did well." Tsunade murmured, as she glanced at the clock. The procedure had only taken a couple of hours which surprised her. She stood over Naruto watching the machine breath for him for a few moments. Tsunade was glad that the surgery had gone well, now all they would have to do was wait for Naruto to wake up again. Hopefully, that wouldn't be too long.

"Good job kid." She said as she brushed Naruto's hair out of his face, before turning the respirator off and removing the tube from his throat, feeling relief when Naruto's chest continued to rise on its own.

"Get him moved to a recovery room." She told the nurse that had been assisting her. "and I am going to go inform some worried people that he came through the surgery okay." The nurse nodded and started pushing Naruto's bed towards the door, as Tsunade exited the room. She breathing a quick prayer of relief. She didn't know what she would have done if Naruto hadn't pulled through. She planned on making him Hokage one day, but he had to be alive in order for that to happen.

A few short minutes later she stepped into the room where Sasuke and Iruka were waiting to hear news on Naruto. Sasuke was pacing the floors impatiently, while Iruka was sitting in a chair his hand's palm to palm with his chin resting on his fingers. Both wore worried expressions on their faces. Sasuke paused his steps to look at her, fear written on his face.

"How is he?" Sasuke demanded. Was Naruto still with them? Or had he been unable to make it through the surgery?

"He made it through the surgery, in fact, he done really well," Tsunade said. "He's in ICU right now and will probably remain there until he gets a new heart."

"So the surgery didn't fix much?" Sasuke asked.

"You should have seen the condition his heart is in, it was pretty fried. The only thing I could do was replace a couple valves with plastic ones. That will help his heart pump enough blood for the time being." Tsunade explained.

"Oh thank Kami." Iruka breathed out, relief clear in his voice.

"That doesn't mean that he's out of danger." Tsunade warned, "He could still go into cardiac arrest. But I think replacing the valves may have bought him a little more time."

"I'm sure that's more than he had before he had surgery," Sasuke replied. "I'll be satisfied with that."

"As long as he's still breathing." Iruka murmured. "The rest we can worry about later. When can we see him?"

"I think it would be a good idea for you to get some rest first," Tsunade said. "You're just as exhausted as I am."

"I don't care about me. I need to see him so that I know he's doing okay." Iruka insisted. "I haven't been able to see him since he was injured." Tsunade smiled, she knew how much Iruka loved Naruto and would do anything to keep him safe.

"He needs his rest too you know, he just underwent major surgery, he needs to be able to recover quietly," Tsunade said.

"Can I see him for a few minutes?" Iruka asked. "I need to see that he's okay at least for a minute." Tsunade sighed, she knew Iruka would only keep persisting until she finally gave in.

"Just for a minute, he's going to need time to recover," Tsunade said. "He doesn't need any stress right now."

"I understand that. I just need him to know that he's not alone, Sasuke and I are going to keep him safe from now on."

"Speaking of keeping Naruto safe," Sasuke said. "Do you know where Kakashi and Sakura are? They went missing right before Naruto and I reached the Suna boarder."

"If they got caught by the enemy," Tsunade said grimly. "They are likely already dead. They were executing all of Naruto's known supporters when Iruka and I escaped."

"Who?" Sasuke asked.

"The ramen guy and his daughter and then Kiba and Choji both," Tsunade replied. "Those are the few that I know of I'm sure there's probably a lot more."

"Kiba and Choji are really gone?" Sasuke asked stunned at the news. He couldn't believe it he could remember Naruto joking around with them in their academy days. Tsunade nodded.

"The council had them decapitated. Unfortunately, Iruka and I witnessed that just as we were making our escape."

"I'm betting that there is someone telling the so-called council what to do." Gaara said from the doorway. "because I don't them declaring war like this on their own. Someone has to be backing them. Someone wanted Naruto's seal to be weakened so that Nine-Tails could escape. They were trying to use Naruto as a weapon of destruction."

"I'm betting that someone is Danzo," Tsunade said grimly. "It sounds like something he would do. He's always wanted to be Hokage but he never had the support of the majority of the people. So I guess he decided he would take the position by force. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to both whip the hell out of him and then decapitate him. See how he likes a taste of his own medicine."

"Naruto's not going to be happy that his friends died to keep him safe," Sasuke said, his heart ached thinking of the emotional pain that Naruto was going to be put through.

"Probably not," Tsunade agreed. "But since we can't do anything about it, for the time being, we should concentrate on helping Naruto get well."

"I take it the surgery went well?" Gaara asked Tsunade noticing little spots of blood on Tsunade's clothes.

"Better than expected, but his heart is worse than anyone suspected. It's nearly completely fried." Tsunade said. "He's definitively going to need a new heart and likely sooner rather than later."

"I would say give him Danzo's heart, but that man's not anywhere near good enough to be inside of Naruto," Gaara said.

"I could say so many things about that sentence." Sasuke said. "but I won't." he shut his mouth as the red head gave him a dirty look.

"Good idea," Gaara told him. "Where is Naruto now?" He asked Tsunade.

"ICU." She replied. "he's going to need some time to rest and recover. Of course, those bozo's want to go see him but they won't be visiting long."

"Do whatever you need to help him live," Gaara said. "Don't worry about expenses, because I will make sure his care his covered."

"He would appreciate it." Iruka murmured.

"After all that he's done for me, it's the least I can do," Gaara said.

"If you're going to visit with Naruto, come on. I would like to get some rest, I'm exhausted." Tsunade said sounding more than a little weary. Iruka stood and both Sasuke and Iruka followed behind Gaara and Tsunade down the hall and up the stairs to the room where Naruto was being kept.

Naruto was still unconscious and hooked to several machines. The most important one was the heart monitor that was beeping slowly, telling the people that their friend was still fighting to be with them.

"Naruto," Iruka said entering the room and making his way towards Naruto's bed. "I love you kiddo, so please don't keep fighting. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. You just have to stay with us. Sasuke and I, we won't make it without you." Iruka said his hand coming up and gently brushing Naruto's hair out of his eyes. "You're not alone, kiddo. You won't ever be alone again." Iruka bent down and pressed his lips to Naruto's forehead. He hoped wherever Naruto was currently that he could hear him, could feel his presence beside him.

Sasuke watched from the doorway, Iruka's quite pleas hurting his heart. He knew how much Iruka meant to Naruto and Naruto meant a lot to their former teacher. It had to be killing Iruka to see Naruto like this, and not knowing if the blond knucklehead would live or not. Sasuke had to believe that he would, it hurt too much to think otherwise. He was glad that Naruto had managed to come through the surgery so maybe that meant that somehow Naruto was going to live through this nightmare.

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoyed! Liz**


End file.
